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The Hawker Enclave
"To the arms of the mother's mother, we send forth a spirit, robbed of its vessel. Name, we return your family name as you ascend to The Follow if it places you at peace. In your honour, we share our blood. May the guidance of your brothers, sisters, mother and father send you forth to her. Eiabium In Exhar." - Funeral words upon a Hawker's death. 'The Hawker Enclave '''is a community of bounty hunters known as hawkers, originally comprised of native Lat'aoc tribes known for being masterful hunters, it is now a dwindling collective of outsiders who remain isolated from the laws of the modern world. In the 1760s (ASE), the Enclave was virtually destroyed for good when the few that remained came into conflict with marauders. Origin ''Hawker is the modern noun for a pylon of Lat'aoc, in other words, a vigilante of an ancient people. While pylons still exist within The Anverse, the Lat'aoc people were very nearly erased from history during The Age of Holy Blight, leaving just an echo of its teachings to form The Enclave. The Lat'aoc coexisted with The Anverse and The Old Ahtex as a trinity of clans that lived outside the confines of Eia's laws, providing and protecting each other in order to sustain their own society. Many books tell of ancient Lat'aoc pylons who read the stars to learn of the day that the world would sink into the sea, requiring them to split from governmental and monarchical rules and ready themselves for the end times. They were mainly hunter-gatherers for their fellow clans, but operated covertly as solo militants if it benefitted them. It wasn't until the 10th Century ASE that the world discovered them and began to pay them for similar work. It is for these reasons that The Enclave is known in modern day as 'Holy Killers'; they worship their respective gods, but hunt and kill for money. In truth, while The Enclave rose from the ashes of the Lat'aoc, it is wildly different now than it was throughout history and almost serves as a tribute to the former clan, rather than a legacy. Hawker Training While there are exceptions, hawkers are brought into The Enclave within the ages of 5-10, sometimes even as young as 3, depending on their reasons for being there. It is common that a potential hawker is an orphan or unwanted by their parents, but some are juvenile criminals (if they're accepted in the first place). It is very rare that anyone older than 12 joins The Enclave, one exception being Yirris Riksilver at the age of 29 when he was exiled from Erwood. The Hawker's Trial When a hawker is deemed experienced enough by their mentor, usually at least 10 years into their training, they will be set 3 tests that push them to limits they may or may not be exposed to in the future. The hawker is tested on tactical improvisation under immense stress, physical endurance and the art of patience, stealth and quick decision-making. Each situation the hawker is put in is deliberately made as extreme as reasonably possible by the Enclave to ensure that they gain incredible discipline regardless of the result of the trial. Tactical Improvisation The first test involves the hawker being left in a random location anywhere in Eia, usually in the wilderness, and it is their job to find their way back to the Enclave's current hideout, all the while doing their best not to leave a trail for other hawkers to follow. They are told that under no circumstances must they be found, but in reality, the first test is only to see how they act under the stress of being pursued by far more skilled members of the Enclave.